Vancouver

American  

[van-koo-ver] / vænˈku vər /

noun

1. George, 1758–98, English explorer who charted the northwest Pacific coast of North America.

2. a seaport in southwestern mainland British Columbia, Canada, on the Strait of Georgia opposite Nanaimo on Vancouver Island.

3. a city in southwestern Washington State, on the Columbia River.

4. Mount Vancouver, a mountain on the boundary between Alaska and Canada, in the St. Elias Mountains. 15,700 feet (4,785 meters).

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Vancouver ¹ British  

/ vænˈkuːvə /

noun

1. Captain George. 1757–98, English navigator, noted for his exploration of the Pacific coast of North America (1792–94)

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Vancouver ² British  

/ vænˈkuːvə /

noun

1. an island of SW Canada, off the SW coast of British Columbia: separated from the Canadian mainland by the Strait of Georgia and Queen Charlotte Sound, and from the US mainland by Juan de Fuca Strait; the largest island off the W coast of North America. Chief town: Victoria. Pop: 706 243 (2001). Area: 32 137 sq km (12 408 sq miles)

2. a city in SW Canada, in SW British Columbia: Canada's chief Pacific port, named after Captain George Vancouver: university (1908). Pop: 545 671 (2001)

3. a mountain on the border between Canada and Alaska, in the St Elias Mountains. Height: 4785 m (15 700 ft)

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Vancouver Cultural  

1. City in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, on an arm of the Pacific Ocean.

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Discover More

The city was named for George Vancouver, an English navigator and explorer.

Vancouver is a year-round tourist center.

Example Sentences

These fossils were recovered from sites in Japan and Vancouver Island, where calm seafloor conditions helped preserve delicate details.

From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026

Quick won a silver medal as a backup goaltender for the U.S. at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, although he did not see any playing time.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Lululemon designs and sells specialized athletic clothing, footwear, and accessories.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

There are players who have stood on the brink of one-clubmanship only to prolong their careers elsewhere - think Thomas Muller at Vancouver, Steven Gerrard in LA, John Terry in the Midlands.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

Barnsley was at a Lethbridge Broncos hockey game in southern Alberta, a team that played in the same Major Junior A league as the Vancouver Giants and the Medicine Hat Tigers.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell